First aid kit

I tried to cut mine back when I updated the expired meds.  It’s still too big at 4.3 oz for mostly weekend trips, but that’s the boy scout in me.  It has some things that might be considered a gear repair items.  I keep everything in a dyneema zip pouch from LiteAF.

mine first aid includes some “emergency” items is 4oz (110g).  I seem to use it on others more frequently than myself (hiking partners and random encounters). I have never run out of supplies, but I have sometimes used all of the applicable items on a single trip

• adventure medical .3 plastic bag (what it started as)
• 6 MP water purifier tablets… if filter breaks and need to flush with clean water
• Bandaids (2 each): small, waterproof, knuckle, aqua(burn), blister
• 2 gauze dressings
• 3 bzk wipes, 3 anti-biotics
• 2 safety pins, pro tick remover
• dropper filled with tincture of benzoin
• small roll of TK tape
• 2 single use super glue
• steel pill holder with aleve, beneidryl, few other things
• several windproof matches
• sparky, mini tinder, thread and needle

I also carry water purification tablets — my only purification method, needle & thread, fire steel, etc., which I don’t classify as “first aid,” but are always taken.

my backpacking one is 1.9 oz (my hunting one is a little over 6 oz, but includes some trauma stuff like a tourniquet, etc)

3 3×3″, 1 roll gauze, 2 bandaids, quick clot gauze, 2 steristrips, 2 nesporin, leukotape (on empty stamp backers), a pair of uncle bill’s tweezers and meds (aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, immodium, Benadryl

My backpacking first aid kit, 192 grams (6.8 ounces). Recently downsized from north of 8 ounces. Doesn’t show other items in my backpack that could be drafted into service like soap and a knife.

I’ve been Wilderness First Responder certified for more than 20 years, starting when I was a whitewater raft guide and saw my share of gnarly injuries. I could probably shrink this more, but I’m familiar with everything here. Lots of labels and a (supplemented) pocket guide help keep my head straight when life gets confusing.

I’ve experienced three main usage scenarios:
– Someone else is hurting and I patch them up
– I’m hurting and patch myself up
– I’m hurting and disoriented and someone else patches me up with my kit

I know many people have hiked the PCT and other long trails with 2 ounce first aid kits. Not me.

— Rex

Mine is like MikeM’s but without the larger bandages.  Very similar assortment of drugs, although I should label them more clearly like Rex does.  I know which are which, and my MD wife does, too, but for anyone else. . .

The little packets of Neosporin antibiotic topical ointment are, yes, anti-biotic and I think I notice fewer little cuts get that heat and redness of infection when I use it, although my wife says the data isn’t very strong on that.  What it definitely helps with is keeping the wound edges moist and therefore makes for a smaller scar than if another millimeter of the wound edge dried out and died.  Clean it, put the ointment on, cover it with a Bandaid and then don’t mess with it for the rest of the trip.

I don’t hike with shoes that give me blisters but other people do.  Leukotape is great for friction blisters on the back of your heel, but for pressure blisters on one’s toes, I like to cut a donut of moleskin or molefoam to take the pressure off that spot and spread it to a larger, surrounding area.  Although Leukotape is sticky enough that you could form a donut from gauze or fabric scraps and hold it in place with the Leukotape.

Slight drift on topic… In NOLS WFA class (2/2019) we were told that NOLS now advises against Neosporin and other antibiotic ointments. They advise people to clean, cover and let cuts/abrasions dry out rather than keeping them moist. I can’t quote any studies or anything, just passing on what I was told.

My full FAK for longer, remote trips is around 8 ounces, maybe 9. It looks similar to Rex’s except I label with a Sharpie. It does include an irrigation syringe and repair kit as well so the FAK part is probably only ~6 ounces.

Did some more revisions.  Its at 2.82 ounces. Keep in mind i am mostly a weekend warrior.. 2- 3 nights.. the mileage i hike can vary 5- 15+ miles/day.. and this is basically just for my needs.

Now when i go whitewater kayaking,  obviously my first aid kit is much different and a bit more things are in it.

Thanks everyone for posting.. i know this had probably been a well discussed topic over the years here.. but sometimes its nice to get some new input and see whats happening currently.

one tip on Leukotape- I’ve tried numerous ways of packing it and if it goes unused for awhile- all of have been an abomination to use.

the backers off of stamps/labels/etc is the very best method I’ve found; you can put a very useable length of leukotape on them (and can trim off any excess) and then it comes off with ease

I do think a small irrigator is a good idea; hobby places sell small “syringes” that work very well for a light, compact irrigator- need to add one back into my kit

For years i have carried a small ACE wrap for ankle and knee twists and sprains.  The old TX, elevate, compress, ice, etc.  I figured that these would be common injuries on the trail.  In fact, in the last 10 year of hiking with many groups, i have never seen this injury.  Is this injury a myth in my own mind?

^ I’ve seen it a couple of times, but yeah pretty rare in my experience as well.

In my hunting first aid kit (which is much more robust due to many sharp things, things that go bang and typically almost off-trail and in very remote areas) I carry a compression bandage from NAR, the mini Responder.  It’s main function is to stop serious bleeding, but the compression comes from essential and ACE wrap- so it kills two birds with one stone.  Not UL, but 2.4 oz which isn’t much more than most ACE bandages.  I don’t ever see adding it to my regular first aid kit though.

MikeM: +1 on Leukotape stored on a non-stick backing.  Then I can trim it to size, round the corners, etc, very easily with scissors before peeling it off the backing.

I usually use the backing that postage stamps comes on but maybe I should play with waxed paper for that – it’s lighter and then the backing would multi-purpose as a great emergency fire starter.

I take about a foot length and wrap it around a short piece of pencil, duct tape on the other end of pencil.

For Leukotape I wrap it around a cutoff disposable chopstick that’s about 1/2 inch wider than the tape.  I’ve never had any issues with it sticking to itself – My roll is probably 5-6 years old and I just add a piece to my chopstick after each trip if I used some.

This has been a helpful thread – I’ve had two weekend trips in the last three weeks and I know my FA kit is way too heavy.  I think the only thing I’ve ever used from it has been the Leukotape.  My meds (“Vitamin I”, Tylenol, Benadryl, Immodium, and Zantac) go in a small bottle that I keep with my snacks for easier access.

I’m liking Mike M’s kit…

As I reviewed my current first aid kit I realized that I’m carrying enough to provide aid to a group of 4-6 people who all suffer injuries at the same time.  That may not be overkill if mine were the only FA kit on the trip, but the 3-5 people with whom I hike are also carrying their own FA kits!  There’s a lot of redundancy here that’s really not necessary.

Here’s my new approach:

• A light (2-ounces, modeled on Mike M’s) kit for solo hiking or if I’m with a group of others who are carrying their own FA kits
• A supplement (weight unknown at this point) where I’ll include a few extra things for when I have the only FA kit but am responsible for more people (i.e. when I take my two daughters with me).  I just now need to figure out what, if anything, I need in the supplement.

Thoughts or suggestions are appreciated!

I let my kids carry their own small first aid kit.. the basics for cuts, burns and scratches.. and a few water treatment tabs.

“but for pressure blisters on one’s toes, I like to cut a donut of moleskin or molefoam to take the pressure off that spot and spread it to a larger, surrounding area. Although Leukotape is sticky enough that you could form a donut from gauze or fabric scraps and hold it in place with the Leukotape.”

Oh yes. Or any blister on your feet. I use both the moleskin and leukotape. A blister can nearly ruin a trip; this is super lightweight insurance against that happening, as this combination really works for taking all or nearly all the pain out. Plus the Leukotape really holds the whole bandage together.

I begin with a little antibiotic gel, followed with moelskin and then Luekotape wrap.

> but for pressure blisters on one’s toes,

I prefer to avoid the whole problem by buying a larger sized shoe. Prevention is so much better than cure.

Cheers